PDP condemns sentencing of activists to 20 years in jail

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) strongly condemns the politically motivated judgment handed down on Monday when our senior party official Last Maengahama, Harare councillor, Tungamirai Madzokere and political activist Yvonne Musarurwa where sentenced to 20 years each in prison. We view this sentence by Chinembiri Bhunu as a gross miscarriage of justice as their charges were clearly fabricated. As PDP, we have no doubt that Bhunu got his instructions to pass the harsh judgment from his masters in Zanu PF. The so-called trial of the trio was characterised by calculated delays on several occasions since 2011 as the state had no evidence against them, which brought unnecessary frustrations on the accused, their families, lawyers and supporters. In his ruling Bhunu, also failed to accept evidence produced in court that Maengahama was at the time of the death of the police officer, attending church at the United Family International Church (UFIC) headed by Pastor Emmanuel Makandiwa at the City Sports Centre. A three-minute video was also played in court to prove that Maengahama was in a church while the father and the brother of the late police officer also exonerated the three. But Justice Bhunu ignored this evidence. We therefore believe that Bhunu’s judgment was politically motivated and is totally unacceptable. His secretive appointment to the Supreme Court bench, some few days before the 2013 elections is highly suspicious. Bhunu will only want to return the favour to Robert Mugabe by jailing and punishing Mugabe’s perceived enemies on trumped-up charges. Instead it is Zanu PF politicians and supporters who should be at the Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison for the Gukurahundi massacres and other politically-motivated murders since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. However, in Zimbabwe, Zanu PF murderers remain untouchable as their strong political links ensure they never set foot in any court of law. Unfortunately, in spite of these glaring inadequacies, efforts to reform the country’s judiciary system into an independent and impartial institution are being strongly fought in Zanu PF as evidenced by the scuttling of the latest interviews to choose a new chief justice. Bhunu’s flawed ruling on Monday is therefore a sad day for the judiciary system in the country as Zimbabweans now believe the system serves only the interests of Zanu PF politicians. #TogetherAnotherZimbabweIsPossible